1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to Ethernet networks and, more particularly, to a multiport switch for cascaded Ethernet audio/visual (AV) device networking.
2. Introduction
The current wired home network relies on a non-user friendly point-to-point connection topology where the user has to be aware of the exact topology of the connection. Moreover, the user must be aware of the specific set of ports and the type of connection through which a device will be connected to another device.
For example, in a typical home AV application, a receiver is often designed as a central hub to which various devices such as a television, CD/DVD player, speakers, digital video recorder (DVR), computing device, etc. are connected. In this point-to-point topology, a user will typically rely on different sets of ports on the receiver for connection to individual devices. These different sets of ports can be of various types such as component video, S-video, coaxial, firewire, USB, HDMI, etc.
One of the limitations of such a point-to-point topology is the increased cabling costs in supporting multiple point-to-point connections. Moreover, the point-to-point topology can often limit the physical placement of the various devices due to the long cabling spans that are required for connection to a centralized hub. In general, point-to-point topologies lead to increased complexity and costs in various AV applications. What is needed therefore is a mechanism that enables users to simplify the process of deploying and configuring such AV networks.